Into the Beyond
by Raven Jadewolfe
Summary: No real relevant plot to speak of, just the lives of the Normandy gang after the Reaper War, so expect fluff and lots of it.
1. Chapter Prologue

The Mass Effect Universe belongs to Bioware. Only the OC's are mine.

Mass Effect- Post Destroy Ending

Something I've been piecing together around work, kids, and all the fun things that make you wish you lived in a video game. No real relevant plot to speak of, just the lives of the Normandy gang after the Reaper War, so expect fluff and lots of it.

Characters/Pairings: revolves around femShep and Garrus though many other characters (including a fair number of OCs) will make appearances.

Unbeta'd so any mistakes are my own.

Oh, and salty language warning. And maybe citrus at some point.

Prologue(ish)

When they first met, she was every inch the proper Alliance officer...or so he'd thought.

How was he supposed to know most human women did not shave the sides of their heads? Or that her particular hue of red fringe-err-hair was far from common?

Other than her onyx painted fingernails-which he eventually learned to be one of the few feminine practices she allowed herself to indulge in- and the long, jagged scar than trailed from her left temple, down her cheek, and disappeared into the collar of her pristine uniform, she actually looked fairly unspectacular, even for a human.

The first time she joined him as he spent another sleepless night tinkering with the Mako, he discovered what a vibrant green her eyes were. Not the sharp toxic shade of ryncol or the soft hues of wild grass which grew on many garden worlds, but more like the multi-toned green gases which swirled around a nebula. Iridescent, with flecks of gold, silvers, and blue twinkling mischievously in their depths.

Hers were eyes that never mocked, never looked at him with anything less than the utmost respect.

He could never admit it back then, but it was her eyes that began his fascination-and ultimately led to his love- for her.

It was those same eyes that haunted him for two years.

He thought he had finally lost what little of his mind he'd clung to when he sighted a female human cutting through mercs, her body clad in achingly familiar black armor with a tell-tale N7 proudly emblazoned on the chest. This woman's hair was shorter, but the same shocking color and style as his dead commanders. It was only when his scope revealed her face...her riveting green eyes...he was so shocked that he accidentally fired a concussive round into her armored shoulder.

When she spoke, he could barely maintain his concentration as most of his focus was fixed on a long, jagged, and still healing wound where her old scar once trailed.

Later-in the privacy of her cabin, and once she was sure he was safe-she confessed to doing the damage herself after Cerberus' miracle had left her with none of her old scars or tattoos.

During their time with Cerberus, he learned he did truly love the woman hidden behind the loyal soldier...even if that woman could only confess in the dark-amongst tangled sheets and whisper soft caresses-that she feared herself a clone or a VI of the much feared and once respected commander.

It had been those murmured fears which had helped him to cast away the last remnants of hero worship he'd carried around since the day she'd accepted his plea to join in her hunt for Saren and embrace the strange human woman who had stolen his heart and challenged him to be a better person, a better friend, a better lover, a better soldier every day. Not that she would ever ask it of him. No, she accepted people exactly as they were. Scars and all.

She never could comprehend the affect she had on people.

It took so long-damned Reapers, damned Council, Spirits thrice damned galaxy-but little by little did he learn that she had not idly taken his heart and soul, she had taken them in trade for her own.

'No Shepard without Vakarian' she was fond of saying and again he learned to hear the meaning hidden behind the playful words.

The actual words she only ever said twice. Once when he clumsily asked her to become his bondmate. -Are you ready to become a one turian kind of woman?- He'd been so shocked at her acceptance and admission that by the time he'd recovered, she had become self conscious and changed the subject.

He didn't hear them again until that day. The day. He had been furious at being left behind-no matter how grievous his injuries were-but he needed her to know, undeniably, how he felt. In case there was never another chance to tell her.

-The Crucible.

The order to retreat-

-The Illusive Man...Anderson.

Reapers moving in for the kill-

'Forgive the insubordination, but your boyfriend has an order for you...'

-The red wave of energy washing across the galaxy, overtaking the damaged Normandy.

'...Come back alive. It would be an awfully empty galaxy without you.'

Days...weeks...Uncertainty chipped at everyone but him as the crippled frigate limped back to Earth. He wouldn't give up on her a second time.

'I repeat, Commander Shepard has been recovered Normandy.'


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A sharp, mewling cry shattered the quiet darkness, catapulting the other occupants of the house out of their slumber.

"Dammit, not again," one grumbled from the far side of the bed as it shifted, "I'll get him, go back to sleep."

"I'm already moving," she stroked his side then gingerly hauled herself to her feet, "Besides, you got up with him last time, it's my turn."

"If you're sure," his words faded as quickly as they'd been spoken and she knew he was already dreaming once more.

She breathed out a low chuckle as she limped from their bedroom, across the hallway, and into the room where the keening had since reached agonizing decibels. A thousand glittering artificial stars danced across the ceiling, their light displaying a small figure who bounced at the rails of a crib.

At the sight of her, the cries progressed to outright screeches which continued-in spite of her reassurances-until she hefted the panicked youngling from his prison and deposited him on one hip.

The sudden silence left her ears ringing, but she ignored the static echo as she slowly made her way through the house and into the kitchen. Once inside, she secured him into his high chair and hobbled across the room. The little one started chirping in excitement while she rifled through the cryo unit, but uttered an impatient growl when she didn't move swiftly enough for his liking. She answered with a raspy snarl of reprimand, causing the child to dip his head in submission until she sprinkled a handful of cubed dextro meat onto his tray.

"Kai, chew before you swallow your food, or do you want to choke again?" she chastised as she filled his cup with juice and handed it to him.

At the warning, he chittered an apology, his mandibles twitching with a hint of embarrassment. As a peace offering, he held out the largest piece of meat to her, "Mum?"

With a playful growl, she took his hand and pretended to gobble up both the treat and his small fist, which sent the boy into a fit of giggles.

"Mmm, we're having Kai for breakfast? My favorite," her bondmate announced himself with a groggy chuckle as he shuffled in, stretching and scratching his stomach with one silvered hand.

"I thought you were still down for the count," she accepted his nuzzle and kissed his scarred mandible while Kai chittered, "Dad! Dad! Dad!" and tried to stuff a bit of food in his father's mouth when the older turian leaned down for an affectionate nudge.

"I thought I was too, but who can sleep through the morning growling match between mother and son?" her mate flashed her a grin and moved to start loading the kitchen's two coffee pots.

"It's not my fault he's impatient when it comes to, well, anything," she moved to the stove, pulled down two pans from the overhead rack, and set them to heat while she went in search of ingredients for the grown ups breakfast, "Any plans for the day big guy?"

He leaned forward onto his elbows, his piercing blue eyes tracking the slow drip of cava, "Kal said last night that Ash and Jimmy ought to be landing early this afternoon, so Tali, Liara, Sam, and Nova have, of course, been putting the finishing touches on the party plans. Edi promised to have Joker here an hour early so you two could get your physical therapy out of the way before it kicks off. And since I already talked to Strax about watching Kai and Ivanka, we won't have to worry about them getting loose and terrorizing anyone this time."

"Kai wasn't even walking the last time Garrus, the entire debacle was all Ivanka and Javier," she huffed in mock offense, while absently stirring each pan, "I swear they are going to be a bad influence on him some day soon."

"Jane, look at their parents, then tell me if you really expected them to be anything but hell raisers," her mate chirruped as the pots beeped their completion and hurried to pour each of them a much needed pick-me-up, "I also heard someone else might be coming for a visit. Can you guess who?"

"Kaius David Vakarian, if you throw your cup on the floor one more time, I won't be picking it up," Jane warned, giving her son a glare before shifting her focus back to her mate, "If you say Diana Allers, I'm siccing the geth on her."

"She wasn't so bad," Garrus snickered and dropped a few slices of fruit onto Kai's tray before taking the spatula from her hand and bumping her off of cooking duty with his hip, "Try a little closer to home."

She eased herself into a chair at the table, ignoring the protest in her legs, "Not Kal or Tali, since they live here. Same for Joker and Edi, Sam and Nova, or Liara and Ivanka. We all live on the same stretch of beach so I have to think further."

"Go on," her mate encouraged as he filled their plates and carried them over.

"Kasumi is on Thessia, for the Shadow Broker. Jack is on Eden Prime, teaching at the new Grissom Academy. Grunt and Wrex are making babies on Tuchanka. Jacob is too busy with a six year old and twin three year olds to think, let alone visit. That leaves Zaeed, Kolyat, or Miranda.

"I'm not saying which one, but I will say this. He is bringing a friend. makes me wonder what they did to warrant being dragged out here."

Jane pondered while she unleashed a squeaking Kai, then blew out a heavy sigh, "Shit, I hope this isn't another vendetta Zaeed is going to try to get himself killed over."

"You and me both," he agreed, then switched on the vid screen to catch the morning news.

"-Are happy to announce that the tenth new mass relay came online today. That makes ten new relays completed in the five years since the end of the war. The Council also offered their thanks to the Geth, who undertook the bulk of the reconstruction in order to reconnect our galaxy without the aid of Reaper technology-"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Rough night?" Joker asked as they stretched-side by side-on their mats.

"Kai is waking up half a dozen times a night again," she winced when her calf muscle protested sharply, "I thought we were finally passed the whole waking up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder phase. That's why we gave Strax the weekend off."

"I wondered where ole potato head was hiding the past few days," her friend mused and shifted to mirror her position, "You should have called if you were having so much trouble. You know the kids loves me and even if he didn't, Edi never sleeps so it wouldn't have been a problem to lend a hand."

"I-we-Garrus and I need to be able to take care of Kaius without someone looking over our shoulders all the time. He's our son, for crying out loud."

"No offense, but with your bum legs and your hubby's bright and shiny new robot arm, it's more than okay if you guys need help every once in a while," he countered, his tone gentler than before.

Jane shook her head vehemently and sat down with a thump, their therapy forgotten, "My legs are nowhere near as bad as they were a year ago-you, of all people, know that-and Harrus has been walking around with a cybernetic arm for over five years. It's also been almost two years since he was fitted with the one he has and he hasn't had-"

"And, and, and. Same old Commander we all know and love. So eager to help everyone but herself," her friend tsked, but decided to let the issue after a long stretch of silence, "So, do you have any idea who is coming to visit besides Williams and Vega? With the quarians so hell bent on honoring your request for privacy, it's been kind of hard to get any good gossip."

Jane waited a few exercises before answering, "Why didn't you harass Edi about it? She probably knows more than you and I put together."

"Don't you think I already tried that route? All she'd tell me is that we were in for a pleasant surprise. Pleasant," he snorted indignantly as he spotted their therapist-and Kai's personal caretaker-stomping down the path leading to the patch of beach they were currently using, "That word takes out almost everyone you know, doesn't it?"

She replied with a rude hand gesture just before Strax bellowed at them to get off of their bony asses and do some real work. Jane repeated the gesture towards the krogan, which ultimately caused it to be two hours before Strax released his prisoners-err-patients to prepare for their comrades imminent arrival.


	4. Chapter 3

Jane covered Kaius as the opening hatch sent dust devils dancing across the landing pad. Several figures strolled down the ramp as it lowered, led by a dark haired and squealing young boy, "Auntie Lola! Uncle Scars! I'm back!"

Garrus scarcely managed to insert himself between the child and his bondmate and scooped the boy up, "How's it going pyjak? Still driving your parents crazy on those long trips?" The boy's expression turned bashful as he nodded, "That's my boy."

"He has been babbling nonstop for the last week about coming here," James Vega grinned and exchanged a fist bump with the turian while his son scrambled off to say hello to Jane and Kai, "Your boy is getting big Scars."

"So is Javier," Jane commented with a bright smile just before Ashley stole Kaius from his mother's arms, "And I bet he eats his weight in food every meal, like someone else I know."

"That's dad," Javier joyfully pointed out from the safety of his uncle's hold, "He eats enough tacos to fill a whole shuttle! That's more than a krogan!"

"Ooh, you little traitor," his father mock growled and tickled him around Garrus as the turian twisted and turned to elude the man.

"The cars are ready for anyone who needs to use them," Jane called out to the other people disembarking, then waved Ashley, James, and Javier towards the front vehicle.

After securing the children-and the luggage-Garrus opted to drive before Vega could call it, so the men sat in front while the women fawned over the younglings and caught up in the back.

"So Jimmy, how long is the vacation going to last this time around?"

"Ash managed to strong arm the new Council into giving us a minimum of three months without being called out for anything less than a Reaper resurrection," James flashed him an impish smirk, "It helped that she guilt tripped the hell out of them for the shit storm they threw us into right after Javier was born."

"Ouch. Went right for the quad then. I bet they didn't appreciate being reminded their bouts of idiocy damn near got two of their best Spectres killed less than two months after becoming parents," Garrus rumbled out a knowing chortle, "And you wondered why Jane was so adamant about retiring as soon as she was well enough to dress herself."

The human shrugged his broad shoulders, no easy feat in the civilian transport, "If I'm being truthful Garrus, I would never have accepted the Spectre position in the first place if we'd known Ash was pregnant nor would I have given a damn about how badly their numbers needed replenished. Oh, and between you and me, don't be surprised if your wife starts cheering here in a minute."

"Spirits, is Ashley pre-"

Vega sputtered hysterically, forcing the turian to hold his mandibles tight to keep from laughing at his flustered companion, "No! Nothing like that. At least, I don't think she is. No. We actually um-our visit might become a little more permanent if things work out. We're...retiring."

Garrus forgot to hold his mask in place and his mandibles flared with surprise, "Damn Jimmy. From the Spectres? Alliance?"

"From everything. Don't get offended when I say this, but seeing everything Lola-and you-have went through, Scars that kind of life ages you in ways most of the galaxy will never comprehend. We want to be there to see our son become a man and that meant some serious rearranging to our priorities," he chanced a glance over his shoulder then added, "Admiral Coates went loco when he learned we really could just fly off with the Normandy and there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do about it without causing a very public incident."

"Thank the Spirits for Jane and Barla Von."

Vega bumped the other male's fist, "I almost feel sorry for the pendejos still dumb enough to underestimate our Lola. Almost. Then I remember how hard she can hit when she wants and I just settle for being glad that I finally caught on."

"You and me both," Garrus agreed.

By the time the friends finally reached their destination, the welcoming party had kicked off without them. Since none of the crew members-past or present-were ever denied entrance, an old fashioned beach party spontaneously cropped up whenever the Normandy landed on Rannoch. This loosely translated to nearly forty people wandering about the property and that was only those they could see.

The instant the groundcar came to a full stop, Javier was out of the vehicle and running for Strax as swiftly as his little legs would carry him. Garrus and Vega volunteered to unload and-after a kiss for their respective mates-shooed their significant others towards the festivities.

As they transported the groceries and coolers to the back deck, Garrus remembered something. "Wasn't Zaeed and his new friend supposed to come with you?"

Vega bobbed his head in affirmation, "They did come with us, but he also knows these parties are very important to us and he didn't want Dakota making a scene just to prove she could."

"Does this Dakota pull stunts like that often?" James nodded a second time while he opened a beer for each of them and they eyed the mass of revelers for a moment before Garrus sighed, "Yeah, maybe it was for the best if they kept their distance for tonight."

"Cuz there ain't no party like a Normandy party," the two men touched their bottle together and James added, "Any idiot loco enough to interrupt a Normandy party is probably going to get their ass shot off."

"Damn straight."


	5. Chapter 4

"Damn She-Jane, you still know how to throw one hell of a party," Ashley smirked, a drink in her hand from the moment Strax had come to claim her son.

"Yeah, well if you and the lug really do decide to retire here, you'll be helping to plan them from now on," Jane revealed from her seat at the other woman's elbow, "And you'll most likely get roped into cooking for some of them, so you'd better start brushing up on you culinary skills."

"Oh how will I ever survive? Cooking for a band of misfits after helping save the galaxy several times," she paused to take a drink of her frozen margarita before continuing with a chortle, "Unlike you Skipper, I've always known how to cook more than coffee and MRE's."

"Fuck you Ash," Jane flicked a rude gesture at her old friend, which only caused the laughter to amplify, "At least I don't get gassed out of my own bedroom when James makes his "famous" huevos rancheros."

"James isn't that bad."

"It wasn't James I was referring to," the other woman deadpanned and grinned as the cackling abruptly ceased.

"so where is Urz? He hasn't tried to lick me to death yet," James interjected as he and Garrus joined their wives at their shaded corner of the deck, "Did Joker finally shoot him?"

After accepting her glass of iced tea from her mate, she shook her head, "No, Jeff didn't shoot him. Wrex has been trying to breed varren with exceptional intelligence and control to use as police dogs. Since the pup has many of the traits they are looking for, he asked if Urz could come visit their female varren for a few months as part of their new breeding program. Eezo's been there twice so far, you can imagine how proud Jack is about that fact."

Ashley clapped Garrus on his artificial arm, "I bet you've been loving the vacation from being bowled over and snuggled to death by a crazy varren every morning."

The turian snorted a laugh into his beer, "You have no idea."

"I might have a small inkling. Has James told you about his newest sidekick, Frijoles? She's a vicious little thing, especially when you wake her from her nap early."

He tilted his head to peer at the massive soldier, "What is she? A pyjak?"

"Worse. A chihuahua," at his perplexed expression, Ashley clarified, "A small and endlessly annoying type of earth canine. Think of a nonbiotic Jack and a whinier Kasumi mixed together and about the size of the old proximity mines."

Vega scoffed at the description, "She's mad because her and Frijoles had a disagreement before we landed. Frijoles isn't that bad, she just gets upset when Ash rolls over in bed and damn near squishes her."

"The damn mutt almost bit the tip of my nose off so don't even try to feed me a line about how sweet and gentle she is. Your dog is a holy terror."

Jane looked at Garrus and-sensing yet another alcohol fueled argument brewing between the couple-used an old hand signal to sign a retreat, which he gladly agreed to. He silently helped her to her feet and the bondmates slipped away just as Ashley's voice hit an eardrum bursting octave.


	6. Chapter 5

"Well, that could have been a lot worse," Jane surmised, dragging a pair of soft pajama pants over her aching and rebellious legs. She hated when her lower extremities became fatigued like this, their responses were sluggish and they had trouble with the simplest of her commands.

Garrus emerged from the bathroom-clad in his own version of sleep pants-still blotting water from his plates, "James and Ashley have an all out screaming match, then go right to the make up sex on a hammock where everyone can see them? Yeah it could have been mush worse. The kids could have still been outside instead of over at Edi and Joker's, watching movies. I swear Jane, if they can't find somewhere private when they need to relieve tension, like normal people do, then I'm either going to ban them from these parties or start using the hose on them when they start heating up."

"They can't help it they are-"

"Hornier than Joker and moodier than Grunt before he took his rites?"

"-Passionate about everything they do," she waited for her mate to join her on the bed and begin massaging her legs before adding, "It's not like you or I can claim any moral high ground on this one. Remember our date on the Citadel, King of the Bottle Shooters?"

His mandibles flicked wildly a moment-the turian equivalent of a blush-before he huffed, "But we had an excuse for being like that Jane. All of the stress we were under with the war, Cerberus...not to mention you had just accepted my very badly worded proposal. Besides, we were so far up no one could see what we were doing in that skycar."

"No one except the passengers of those other skycars flying around," she snickered at the memory while she slid forward to sit in his lap, "I thought that salarians eyes were going to pop out of his head when he saw you down between my-"

Her mate silenced her with a kiss.


	7. Chapter 6

The two human females sized each other up over the rims of their coffee mugs. Green eyes sparkled with thinly veiled amusement, pale blue crackled with confusion, embarrassment, and more than a little disbelief.

"You can't really be the Commander Shepard," the younger woman finally decided with a sniff, "You're just some cripple ass stay at home mom and Commander Shepard saved the galaxy almost single handedly. Kicked ass and took names."

Jane couldn't stop the laugh that finally escaped. Zaeed's ward reminded her of a certain career criminal turned teacher. The indignant look the girl was flashing her way only served to cement the thought.

"Oh Dakota. You are partially correct," Jane confessed when her mirthful outburst had trickled down to a sporadic chuckle, "Technically I retired as Admiral Jane Vakarian but that matters little as I left both Commander Shepard and Admiral Vakarian behind me when my bondmate and I retired to Rannoch and adopted our son."

Dakota's gaze shifted to the child in question, observing while he knocked over his tower of blocks and giggled at the sound-and mess- they made, "But Commander Shepard is still officially listed as MIA."

"The people who need to know who and where I am do. Everyone else? I'm just some cripple ass stay at home mom who scarcely shares a passing resemblance to the great Commander," her lips curl into a genuine smile, "Commander Shepard always did work better as a symbol rather than the real did, especially nowadays. You've been kind enough to point out why."

"Prove it."

Jane chuckled again and shook her head, "Not gonna happen kid. I bypassed the need to prove anything to anyone the day the Reapers invaded Earth. If you think I am going to jump through hoops to satisfy the curiosity of some snot nosed juvenile delinquent, you are in for some serious disappointment. I have better things to do than entertain you."

Dakota's expression turned triumphant, "I knew you couldn't be her! There is no fucking way Jane Shepard would have let herself go like this or back down from a challenge like I just gave. Zaeed owes me a hundred fucking credits."

"Whatever you say kid," Jane rolled her eyes, then held out Kai's cup for him when he toddled over and chirped.

"Can't he talk yet?" the girl queried, only half interested.

"Kai was found on a damaged freighter the quarians found drifting. The ship-probably once intended for one of the outer colonies-had been attacked and ravaged by pirates. The bastards shot anyone who wouldn't make good slave stock, including Kai's birth mother, because she wouldn't be worth the trouble her child would have brought on them. WHen she died, her body ejected Kai several months before her was done cooking," she let out a ragged breath and did her best to ignore her watering eyes, "If they hadn't found the ship when they did...Anyways. Because of his traumatic entrance to the world and neglect his first few days of life, Kai has several health problems and developmental delays he struggles with. He also has separation anxiety and abandonment issues because his first few months, he was only handled by the medical staff onboard the ship. We're working on it though."

"Damn, poor little guy. I-"

Jane raised a hand and Dakota's attention was immediately drawn to the myriad of fine, silvery scars that cris-crossed the limb, "Don't let any of what I just said fool you. He might be small, but my son is already an evil genius, especially when it comes to charming the hell out of unsuspecting adults. Also, the doctors are certain that Kai is beginning to catch up to other turian younglings his age, so the delay is not permanent. We wouldn't love him any less even if it were. Regardless, raising that little boy is a hell of a lot more important than a single damn thing Commander Shepard ever did. He's also the reason I don't give a single fuck what you think of me for refusing your pitiful challenge."

The blonde girl rocked back in her chair, startled and more than a little frightened, by the quiet ferocity that had just rattled the curtain of calm Jane usually maintained. The fire had been extinguished as swiftly as it had flared, but as the older female settled back into her role of doting mother, Dakota knew there was no doubt as to who had just verbally bitch slapped her.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered once she had woven together the remnants of her composure, "I just always thought Zee was bullshitting me when he said he was old friends with the Commander Commander Shepard."

A few seconds passed before she hastily added, "Please don't kill me."

"I'm not going to kill you kid. Zaeed brought you here because he thought you needed some female influences that didn't involve mercs or prostitutes. Killing you for simply being a mouthy, know it all teenager would defeat that purpose and upset someone I view as both friend and family."

Dakota opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a frustrated squawk out of Kai which sent Jane limping after her child.


	8. Chapter 7

"So, exactly how did the big bad Zaeed Massani end up being a dad?" Jane inquired while they watched Dakota recline on the beach, a cigarette in hand.

"Came across her in the camps back in London. She was trying to filch shit people'd left lying around," the grizzled mercenary took a drag from his cigar, his good eye never drifting far from his ward, "I didn't give two shits about what she was doing until she made a move on that shotgun you gave me. I knew a kid who didn't have enough damn sense to keep her mitts off someone's gun wasn't gonna make it very far. So I did what I figured your righteous ass would do in the same situation. I took her in and showed her how to survive and when I left earth it didn't seem right to leave her in that shithole, so I brought her along."

Jane gawked at her companion and his rare show of compassion, "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that she has been with you this entire time and you're just now getting around to making the introductions? Where the hell did you have her stashed the last time you came to visit?"

Zaeed abruptly looked ashamed and bowed his head to stare into his cup of coffee, "She was afraid the geth would kill her Shepard. Guess some of my stories had a bit more of an effect than I thought. Well that and she kind of remembers the big shit storm surrounding your hunt for Saren. You could say all that put together left an impression on her."

"Geez Zee, how old is Dakota?"

"About fifteen, now, and it's been almost two years since I was last out in these parts..."

Jane snorted in derision, "And you've been filling her head with that shit for five years? It's no wonder why she was trying to act all bad ass during our talk."

The older man's mouth twitched with half a grin, "How long did it take for her to call you out anyways?"

"Pretty much the minute after you, Vega, and Garrus left for the firing range. When I wouldn't crumble under her attitude, she started asking about Kaius and got more than she bargained for. I gave her a brief synopsis on him and it shut her right up. I'm guessing that's what has her so thoughtful right now too."

They both looked to the girl, blanketed in companionable silence as the sun drooped further into the waves.

When the view grew too dark to enjoy, Zaeed nudged his friend, "And having the shit scared out of her by the Savior of the Galaxy has nothing to do with her mood?"

She shrugged a shoulder, "Maybe. But I was counting that as a bonus. Not a lot of cocky teenagers to scare around here at the moment. You know she asked me not to kill her after she realized who she was talking trash to?"

"She didn't mention it," his raspy laugh echoed across the deck, "You're right. It was a bonus."


	9. Chapter 8

"Don't you ever miss other humans? Earth?" Dakota prodded while she helped Jane make dinner.

Jane lifted a cutting board laden with sliced dextro vegetables then shoveled the food into a heated wok, "I grew up on starships kiddo. We were always stopping and the Citadel or one of the dozens of supply depots so I had been exposed to aliens and their cultures since before I could crawl. I can't say that I've gotten much of a chance to miss other humans being around, with the fair number who have settled here since the war ended. Now Earth...The first time I ever laid eyes on the planet was when I went there for basic training. I didn't like it much, with all of the rampant xenophobia and inferiority complexes running amok. I've only been back twice and neither of those visits did a single thing to change my opinion," she snagged the spatula and gave the food a few stirs, "What about you? Finding Rannoch not as interesting as Earth?"

"I was born on Earth and hate to admit even that. My darling mother ran out on my dad when I was two so it was just him and me until I was nine," Dakota took the spatula and took over the stir fry while the other woman started on the amino portion of the meal, "That was when he died. No violence, no lingering illness, or any shit like that. I just got out of bed one morning and found him laying on the living room floor. I called the police, scared shitless because they didn't like coming down to the slums. When they got there-after a few hours-the twats had the balls to ask me if my dad and I had been in an altercation and maybe I accidentally hurt him. I was a kid, but I understood what they were trying to imply. I freaked out and ran. Hid in dumpsters, abandoned houses, anywhere I could squeeze my scrawny self into. A couple of gang bangers tried to make me work for them, but I just ran farther and farther each time. It ended up being good practice for when the damn Reapers came. Makes me sound like a coward, putting it like that but-"

"Sometimes the only thing you can do if you want to survive is run," Jane interrupted, her commander tone at the fringes of her voice, "Trust me, I've spent more time running from shit than the galaxy would ever believe. Of course nowadays I would call what I do more of a drunken hobble than a run, but I think you get what I mean. Running to live and fight another day isn't cowardly, it's using your brain."

"I can't see it. Commander Shepard-you-brought down the nastiest, most powerful baddies in the known universe and you're still here. What in the hell is left to scare you?"

"The monsters that hunt me aren't always the kind you can shoot kid," the commanding tone escaped her tone, leaving her sounding tired and drained, "Now add the chicken to that wok or we'll be eating raw meat and mushy veggies for dinner."


End file.
